In a 2012 episode of Parks and Recreation, Chris Pratt's character, Andy Dwyer, overweight and exhausted after a few laps on a track, declares, "Running is the worst."

Three years later, Pratt has a different view. After slimming down and bulking up to play Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy, Pratt is a completely different athlete than the one he played in the first few seasons of Parks and Recreation. Now, he's into running—plus biking and swimming.

Pratt competed in the sprint distance at the Desert Triathlon at Lake Cahuilla in La Quinta, California, on Saturday. He finished the the 500-meter swim in 11:56, the 14-mile bike in 49:13 and 3-mile run in 24:37, according to Triathlete.com.

The movie star is likely to continue to stay in shape because the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy is due out in theaters in 2017.

Running and sports were a common theme on Parks and Recreation, which concluded its seven-season run February 24 on NBC. Chris Traeger, played by Rob Lowe, ran 10 miles a day every day for 18 years, covering 65,000 miles. He was a third of the way to the moon. Pratt isn't approaching the moon with his running, but his fictional friend would literally be proud.

Rowbury applied the makeup—for the record, it's NYX Matte "Shocking Pink"—in homage to her grandmother, who passed away in February 2011.

"She was like a second mom to me and I loved her very dearly," said Rowbury, who grew up with her in San Francisco. "She would always wear hot-pink lipstick.

"Her memory is something that motivates me on a daily basis, especially in races. She was super tough but always positive and the sweetest person ever. I try to embody that tough interior, like you can handle anything, but still face each day with a smile and kindness."

Rowbury was also inspired by her grandmother's generation who got dolled up for important events.

"Races are pretty special occasions—I only race maybe 20 times a year—so I might as well get dressed up for them," Rowbury said. "When you decide to put a hot pink lipstick on, you better bring your A game."

Approximately 15 hours before the gun was scheduled to go off, Sunday morning’s Cowtown Marathon and Ultramarathon were canceled, due to snow and sleet in Fort Worth, Texas. Saturday’s 5K and 10K races had been canceled a day earlier, but it initially looked like the marathon and ultramarathon courses might be salvageable. In the end, only the half marathon race took place, with a one-hour delay.

A statement from race organizers announcing the cancellation read, “The full and ultramarathon courses take in a considerable amount of secondary streets in shaded neighborhoods and the Trinity Trail, which will not be passable for runners by Sunday race time.”

The marathon and half marathon courses use roads on the on the south side of Fort Worth, which was hit harder by the storm. The north side of town, where the half marathon runs, was in considerably better shape.

"People have to remember between the three courses, it's 31 miles of course, and 31 miles of course in Texas can [be] a big difference," Heidi Swartz, executive director of The Cowtown told WFAA.

Marathon and ultramarathon entrants were offered spots in the half marathon race. Race organizers also increased the half marathon’s prize money by $6,900 after the cancellation of the longer races. As a result, seven women and five men surpassed the previous event records of 1:09:27 (men) and 1:18:05 (women) and earned a share of the $16,000 course record bonus.

WFAA reports that approximately 30,000 runners signed up for the weekend’s races. A total of 6,571 runners completed Sunday’s half marathon, down from 7,095 the year before.

Following the cancellation of the race, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Dallas Half Marathon announced that it would offer spots in its March 22 race to some of the displaced Cowtown runners.

The cancellation of The Cowtown’s marathon and ultramarathon marks the second time in less than 15 months that a marathon in the Dallas-Fort Worth area has been canceled due to winter weather. In December of 2013, the Dallas Marathon was canceled after an ice storm hit the region.

Swartz told NBC 5 that the only time The Cowtown had run into a problem like this in the past was in 1979, the inaugural year of the race.

“There were only 600 runners that year,” Swartz said. “So it was easier to take place with 600 runners versus 28,000 or 30,000.”

The trailer for Boston, an upcoming documentary about the Boston Marathon due in theaters next year, was released.

Directed and produced by Jon Dunham, the director of Spirit of the Marathon and Spirit of the Marathon II, the film will highlight the 2014 Boston Marathon while also delving into its history since the race began in 1897. This will be the first time the event has been the focus of a feature-length movie.

"As much as I want this to be 'The Boston Marathon film,'" I also intend for it to be the film that really pays homage to our sport," Dunham said. "Through the telling of the Boston Marathon story, I wish to make a film that highlights the rich story of the marathon generally and that captures non-runners as well."

The state's Gaming Control Board worked with the International Olympic Committee to clear the way for Olympic betting. According to the Review-Journal, gaming officials will "share information on Olympic betting to guard against illegal activity."

A leading sports betting firm, William Hill US, is already offering odds on some Olympic competitions, including the men's 100-meter dash, the Review-Journal reports. The company has two-time defending champion Usain Bolt as a -200 favorite (which means that those betting on Bolt would need to risk $200 to win $100 for a Bolt victory).

Forum Bar and Restaurant, which was heavily damaged in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, has announced the restaurant will close for good March 1. Euz Azevedo, president Boston Nightlife Ventures, the restaurant’s owner, said in a statement that the restaurant could no longer afford to pay its increasing rent.

The second bomb exploded outside Forum on April 15, 2013, while the restaurant was hosting a fundraiser in support of former New England Patriot Joe Andruzzi’s charitable foundation. The restaurant reopened in August of 2013, after undergoing four months of reconstruction.

“Boston Nightlife Ventures would like to offer our sincere gratitude to FORUM’s incredible staff and to each and every one of our patrons, from our regulars to those who came in after the marathon to show their support. We cried together, we smiled together—none of these times will be forgotten,” Azevedo wrote in a statement.

Azevedo said that “out of enduring respect for the events surrounding our brief but unforgettable history at 755 Boylston Street,” Boston Nightlife Ventures would retire the name Forum.

“Unfortunately, the current real estate climate on Boylston Street has motivated FORUM’s landlord to raise rent this year by nearly three times our current rate. This rent increase makes it financially impossible for Boston Nightlife Ventures to operate and sustain a business at a location that means so much to us and to our city,” Azevedo wrote.

You might remember this clip of 95-year-old Joe Bell, a World War II veteran, who stood outside his home during last year's San Jose 408K Race to the Row, waving and shaking hands with runners as they passed by. The video, shot by San Jose Mercury News reporter Julia Prodis Sulek, gained traction nationwide.

This year, the 8K set for March 1 will dedicate a "Memorial Mile" to local service members and Bell, who passed away in January, reports SanJose.com.

The Memorial Mile will be during the fourth mile of the race, close to where Bell's unexpected tribute took place last year. Runners will be encouraged to honor the veterans lining the course.

"It was an organic moment when Joe was wearing uniform at home cheering on runners,” race organizer J.T. Service told SanJose.com. “It was a great moment of mutual appreciation for his service and them running. We want to recreate that moment for more veterans to give them the opportunity to feel that love of what Joe felt on the course last year."

The video above features those accomplishments and a few other elite races from early 2015, including January's Dubai Marathon. We're partial to the women's half marathon clip, as it's nice to see a record-breaking elite finish looking exhausted rather than ready for another go at it.

Hyvon Ngetich, the Kenyan marathoner whose crawl to finish the Austin Marathon earlier this month received international attention, returned to Austin Tuesday to thank the race's medical responders.

Ngetich had a large lead late in the February 15 race, but then hit the Wall hard. Refusing medical workers' offer of a wheelchair or other assistance, she crawled the final straightaway of the course and placed third in 3:04:02.

After Ngetich finished, workers from Seton Medical Center helped her to the medical tent and treated her.

According to KEYE reporter Adam Hammons, Ngetich spoke briefly at a public ceremony at Seton Medical Center today. The medical staff gave Ngetich, who is based in Mexico, a stuffed bear to bring to her 2-year-old son.

As if San Francisco's Bay to Breakers--a 12K road race turned wild and crazy costume party--wasn't weird enough, the event announced it will encourage runners to break as many bizarre world records as possible during the race set for May 17.

The official race theme is "Bay to Breaking Records." Participants can submit a wacky record they'd like to set, then organizers will announce the most creative submissions a week before race day.

The ultimate goal for the race's and more than 50,000 runners' efforts? Setting the world record for “Most World Records Set During a Road Race.” To set the standard--no current record exists yet--at least 20 records need to be set at the race. Bay to Breakers hopes to notch at least 40.

Representatives from RecordSetter, a website that judges and collects submissions for various world records, will be present along the course to confirm record attempts.

Competing in a footrace against a tiger might not be the brightest idea. But a new website, created by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), lets you go head-to-head with a real Amur tiger in Eastern Russia. Called the "Tiger Challenge," runners can connect their chosen running app with the website and attempt to run farther than the tiger, which is wearing a GPS tracker.

On average, the tiger covers 20 kilometers per day, according to the WWF. If you can't outrun it, you're encouraged to donate $5 to the fund.

The purpose of this project is to raise awareness for the endangered species. Currently, only about 450 tigers exist in the wild in Russia because of poaching, hunting, and habitat destruction.

“The decline in the wild tiger population is a global issue," said Yury Sochnev, the head of marketing for WWF Russia, in a press release. "This is a positive and creative way to raise awareness of their plight. You get to race against this magnificent animal whilst simultaneously generating money to help protect it."

The website supports the Nike+, MapMyRun, Strava, and RunKeeper apps. Runners are also encouraged to follow the competition on Twitter using the hashtag #Run4Tiger.

About 10 bright orange signs were placed in the nine-acre park on Thursday. The design depicts an owl swooping in at a runner's head as he or she ducks for cover. (About 20 signs were made in total to be added throughout the park.)

The impetus for the extra caution after four reported barred owl attacks: The Rachel Maddow Show, which last week featured the owl barrages when discussing other stories throughout Oregon. The show's producer's created a mock warning sign for the show, which the Salem Parks department created this week with permission.

"We debated about the size of the signs for a while, but they're pretty much just like the ones on the show," said Cliff Bash, who helped create the warning signs, to the Statesman Journal. "We got the rights and permission for the show to use the design--it's pretty neat that we're doing this actually."

You can view the original clip on The Rachel Maddow Show below. (The owl segment begins at the 7:00 mark.)

During the New England Patriots' parade to celebrate last weekend's Super Bowl victory, the team's musket men halted briefly at the Boston Marathon finish line as a show of respect for the bombing victims and survivors, inspiring the crowd to chant "USA" on Boylston Street.

For those of you wondering who would win in a race between a bobcat, a tiger, a mountain hawk, a blackbird, and a knight, we have the answer.

It’s all thanks to the Mascot 55-Meter Dash at the Armory Track Invitational on January 31. That’s when the Bobcat from New York University, the Tiger from Princeton, the Mountain Hawk from Lehigh University, the Blackbird from Long Island University and the Scarlett Knight from Rutgers University lined up for a race of mascot supremacy.

A video posted by RunnerSpace.com (@runnerspace) on Feb 3, 2015 at 5:01pm PST

The announcers note that the Princeton Tiger looked to have false started, but it was much faster than the field. The Tiger even had the time to cartwheel across the line, finishing in a superb time of 8.4 seconds. In celebration, the Princeton mascot made sure to strike the Usain Bolt pose. So big was the margin of victory, rumors swirled after the race that Princeton had put a ringer in the mascot costume.

The Blackbird finished second with the Bobcat filling out the podium spots. The Knight held off the Mountain Hawk in the battle for fourth place.

For now, the Princeton Tiger is the fastest mascot in the Northeast. More mascot challenges are welcome.

As if kids need another reason to roll around in mud, Tough Mudder has announced a new child-friendly series that will run alongside its regular lineup of adventure races.

Dubbed the Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder, the course will consist of a mile's worth of obstacles for kids between the ages of 7 and 12. Like the adult version, the races will be untimed.

To the parents picturing their children hurdling fire, don't worry. The Mini Mudders will take on tamer challenges like the "Tunnel of Terror" (a slippery tube for participants to crawl through), "Gooey Shoes" (a sticky surface for kids to navigate with their shoelaces tied together), and "Mount Mud" (a hill of mud that rewards kids who conquer it with a slide into--you guessed it--more mud).

"Fruit Shoot is committed to encouraging kids to play and promoting active lifestyles with a sense of adventure," said Matthew Barwell, CMO of event partner Britvic, in a press release.

The first Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder will take place March 7 at Tough Mudder Gulf Coast near Pensacola, Florida.

Last October's Marine Corps Marathon received Gold certification, the highest level available, from the Council for Responsible Sport, an organization that acknowledges socially and environmentally responsible events.

According to a press release, after the race, 1,540 pounds of orange and banana peels were collected for composting, and 7,000 plastic jugs and 2,200 cardboard boxes were sent to recycling. Additionally, 7.46 tons of clothing were donated to local shelters.

“The MCM is thrilled to have the Council for Responsible Sport’s recognition and Gold certification,” said MCM Director Rick Nealis in the release. “In conjunction with partners like Arlington County Solid Waste Bureau, Two Marines Moving, the Clothing Recycling Company and Turbana, MCM cleanup efforts were very effective, aided by the unique 'Adopt a Mile' initiative to conduct trash cleanup along the course.”

The Marine Corps Marathon has previously earned Silver certification in 2009 and 2011.

When he's not behind the wheel of a Formula One race car, British driver Jenson Button puts a different kind of rubber to the road.

A frequent marathon runner and triathlete, Button's racing team McLaren recently tweeted that he'd like to break his marathon personal record of 2:58 this year at the London Marathon, according to ESPN.

Button was the league's eighth-ranked driver in 2014 and is the third-most experienced driver with 268 starts.

The post also included Button's teammate Kevin Magnussen's 2015 running goal, which is to break 20 minutes in a 5K.

David Ortiz, the big slugger for the Boston Red Sox, might not share a lot of the same physical attributes as Meb Keflezighi, but they do have one commonality--they'll both have their own baseball card in 2015.

Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist and 2009 New York City Marathon winner, will be immortalized in baseball card lore in Topps' 15-card celebrity "First Pitch" series this season. The card shows Keflezighi donning a Red Sox uniform, Boston Marathon medal, and even GPS watch as he's in the windup of his first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game on April 23--just two days after becoming the first American man to win Boston since 1983.

The "First Pitch" set of cards--including other notable names like actor Jeff Bridges and Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney--will be available in Topps' first series of cards for 2015, set to be released February 4.

If you want to get your hands on a Meb baseball card, a pack of 10 cards from Topps costs $1.99. Below is the full list of cards, via Topps:

The International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) and the Council for Responsible Sport have announced that they are partnering to bring more attention and resources to the IAAF’s social responsibility program, Athletics for a Better World (ABW).

Keith Peters, the executive director of the Council for Responsible Sport, said of the partnership, “This is a huge opportunity for the IAAF and the Council to have a very positive impact on every competition that falls under the IAAF umbrella.”

Those events include World Championships in track and field at the youth, junior, and senior levels, and well as road racing championships.

ABW encourages events to develop initiatives that promote health, the environment, social inclusion and peace.

The IAAF and Council for Responsible Sport will begin their partnership by working with the local organizing committee in Cali, Colombia, to support environmental initiatives at the 2015 IAAF World Youth Track & Field Championships.

The two organizations ultimately hope to develop a certification framework and standards that can be applied to future IAAF events, beginning with the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships, scheduled to take place in Portland, Oregon.

One day earlier, the Council for Responsible Sport also announced that the 2014 IAAF World Junior Track & Field Championships, held in Eugene, Oregon, had earned Gold Level Certification for meeting specific social and environmental criteria.